Best Avocado Toast with Soft Egg

Let me just cut you off at the pass by saying that yes, I know avocado toast is so over. It’s overdone, overexposed, over instagrammed, and when purchased at a restaurant, usually overpriced. It’s so over, in fact, that we don’t even call it avocado toast any more. It’s just avo toast to us, in the same way that best friend is now bestie and Beyonce is Bey.

But here’s the problem: overplayed as it is, I’m not over avocado toast. In fact I’ve found a new way to love it, which I discovered at High Street on Hudson, a New York City eatery that produces some seriously excellent whole-grain breads (which in turn made excellent avo toast).

Here’s what’s involved:

Avocado (duh)

It needs to be just perfectly ripe, which you can tell by gently pressing on it with your thumb. It should feel firm, but give with relative ease.

Hearty Bread

Bread that has a crust requiring a good serrated-edge knife to get through, a chewy interior, and is ideally is made with some whole grain flour.

A Perfect Egg

Cooked until the white is firm and the yolk soft, but not so drippy as to make your toast an eggy mess.

So, if you are not over avocado toast either, I invite you to make this one. It’s excellent for breakfast, lunch or even a light supper. If you’re smart, you’ll make two, one for you and one to share with your bestie while perusing Insta looking for pics of Bey.

Instructions

Fill the bottom of a small saucepan with 1⁄2 inch of water. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring the water to a full boil. Quickly (though gently) set the egg into the pan (using tongs if you prefer). Put on the lid and set a timer for 7 minutes.

While the egg cooks, lightly toast the bread. When the bread is toasted, mash the avocado evenly over the surface. Add a few dribbles of lemon juice, followed by a pinch or 2 of salt and the sumac (or other seasonings). Cut the toast in half.

As soon as the timer rings, put the pan into the sink and run cold water over the egg until it is cool enough to handle. Crack and carefully peel the egg. Slice the egg in half lengthwise and set one half, cut side up, on top of each piece of toast. Add a pinch more salt to the top of the egg.